One killed, several wounded as Russia launches fresh wave of drone attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv

Kyiv, early on Monday (Jun 23), woke up to drones and distant explosions as Russia launched "another massive attack" on the Ukrainian capital. At least one person was killed and several were wounded in the strikes, said Ukrainian authorities. Mykola Kalashnyk of Kyiv's military administration, in a statement, said that "Unfortunately, as a result of the enemy attack in Bila Tserkva district, a woman born in 1957 died from her injuries". He added that two people were admitted to the hospital and others were treated on site.

"Another massive attack on the capital. Possibly, several waves of enemy drones," said Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, in an urgent statement posted just after midnight.

AFP reports that its journalists heard the distinct buzzing of drones flying overhead, across the city centre. It also reported the sound of explosions echoing through the city—likely air defence systems intercepting incoming drones—as well as sharp bursts of gunfire from mobile anti-air units stationed across the capital. Residents were forced underground to escape the latest onslaught.

Won't 'just sit in defence': Ukraine

The latest Russian assault on Ukraine's capital comes as Kyiv's top military commander Oleksandr Syrsky, on Sunday (Jun 22) vowed to escalate retaliatory strikes on Russian targets — both in scale and depth — saying that sitting passively while Moscow bombs Ukrainian cities is no longer an option.

"We will not just sit in defence. Because this brings nothing and eventually leads to the fact that we still retreat, lose people and territories," Syrsky told reporters.

Calling Ukrainian strikes on Russian military targets "effective," he added that Kyiv will continue with them.

"Of course, we will continue. We will increase the scale and depth," he said.

Russia still has the upper hand in some areas, Syrsky admitted, conceding that Moscow leads in drone warfare — particularly fibre-optic drones, which are harder to jam. "Here, unfortunately, they have an advantage in both the number and range of their use," he said.

The general also claimed that Kyiv still controls about 90 square kilometres inside Russia’s Kursk region — a bold claim Moscow denies.

"These are our pre-emptive actions in response to a possible enemy offensive," Syrsky said, referring to Ukraine’s August 2023 incursion across the border.
The comments follow another grim week on the ground. A Russian strike overnight on an apartment block in Kramatorsk killed at least four. Later that same day, three more died in a strike on a Ukrainian army training site.